Broken
by jeymien
Summary: This is a post series exploration of Azkadellia, her reaction and everyone else's reaction to her. I've recently changed the title, because this is what has kept popping into my head as a series title.
1. Before

**Title:** Before  
**Author:** Velara  
**Characters:** Azkadellia  
**Rating:** PG?  
**Summary:** Azkadellia post series  
**Warning:** post-series - not entirely sure the time period  
**Disclaimer:** The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors.

It was past midnight when she crawled out of bed. The moon shone brightly through her window, illuminating the room for her. Slowly, she made her way across the room to the mirror. She doesn't want the guards stationed outside her room to know she's awake. They'd tell someone. That's what they're there for, of course. Their job was to watch her. To spy on her.

She stops in front of the mirror and looks at herself. She doesn't look any different. It's still her. The only clothes she has are those from before. _Before._ Her mother assures her that as soon as they're able, new clothes will be made for her. But until then, _her _clothes are all she has.

She's never sure what she expects to see in the mirror during these midnight moments. Would she see her twisted misshapen face or see her reflection move? Sometimes she imagines her face and hands are covered with blood. She is surely covered in the blood of thousands. Thousands, she couldn't save. All she could do was give them merciful deaths.

It feels wrong to be alone in her head. Half of her life she's been sharing her body with someone else. When she's alone, she's really alone. _Before. S_he was never alone. _She _had always been with her, whispering into her inner ear. No one else understands.

And so she stands vigil, as she does every night. She looks at herself in the mirror and hates herself. She hates her family. They all abandoned her. It was their fault. It was her fault. It was the witch's fault. It was the O.Z.'s fault. She wants to cry, but she can't. Not for herself, not for anyone else. The mirror showed everything she needed to know, after all. It was just her.


	2. Apology

**Title:** Apology  
**Author:** Velara  
**Characters:** Glitch, Azkadellia  
**Rating:** PG?  
**Summary:** post series, yeah, I know it's not much of a summary  
**Disclaimer:** The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi,  
the movie folks and their respective actors.

He remembers fuzzily. "I'm sorry, Ambrose."

Briefly, he can see a face. It was a familiar face. Glitch shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs. It had been like this for years.

"I'm sorry, Ambrose." Seeing that face and knowing, knowing he should recognize it. He can't even place the voice.

He doesn't remember a lot on his own. He knows from Raw's vision that he'd been there when Azkadee had taken the Queen into custody. He assumes he must have tried to fight and then been captured. That's what an advisor would have done right? Sometimes he has partial memories, of being subdued by the alchemists. But when he's alone, sometimes when he's dreaming, he sees that face and hears, "I'm sorry, Ambrose."

Over the years, he's gotten used to it, that disconnection with his memories. He's had annuals to do so after all. Each time he remembers, he thinks, Azkadee. .. He is unable to associate the expression and words with the Sorceress. Each time as he remembers, he glitches again and forgets. It's new every time it happens. This time however, it's new and old. Glitch watches the Royal family return from the balcony and he sees Azkadellia. It's the first time, and the last time. The face that looks at him is the same face. He watches her stiffen as she sees him, her eyes roaming over the zipper on his head. He hears her say, "Oh, Ambrose, I'm so sorry." The expression on her face is the same as his memory. It's like a never-ending glitch as he watches Azkadellia lower her head to her hands and begin to cry.


	3. Reunion

**Title:** Reunion  
**Author:** Velara  
**Characters:** Glitch, Azkadellia, Cain, Raw, DG, Ahamo, the Queen  
**Rating:** PG?  
**Summary:** post series, starting from after the suns came out  
**Disclaimer:** The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi,  
the movie folks and their respective actors.

Wyatt Cain ignored the burning pain in his shoulder and instead took a moment to admire the handiwork that each of them had  
fixed. The suns were out. Sure, they had a lot work ahead of them, but right now? The world seemed right once more. He honestly hadn't been sure what the outcome of everything would be. But the suns were coming out from the eclipse so everything was good in the world. Well, except for the Longcoats, and then all the work that would be needed to fix the damage the Sorceress had wrought. He placed his hat back on his head and began to look over the people in the room. He still had a job to do; after all, now it just extended to the royal family. They would be the key to rebuilding.

His gaze fixed on Azkadellia. He had figured out somewhat of an idea of what DG had wanted to do though at the time he had no idea how she would be able to do it. She had wanted to save her sister, not just stop the eclipse. It appeared that not only had she saved the O.Z.,she had succeeded in saving her sister. Judging by the happy family reunion in front of him, it appeared that way. The smile on Azkadellia's face seemed genuine, at least.

Well, there was a smile on her face until she turned around and saw Glitch. Her face fell from her happy expression in a second  
and her whole body stiffened. Movement to his right causes his attention to shift and Cain took his eyes off her to look at Glitch.  
Glitch, was currently staring at Azkadellia as if he were mesmerized, occasionally trembling slightly. Raw had moved closer to Glitch. Cain took a step forward in front of Raw, moving to place himself between the Sorceress and Glitch, putting his hand on gun as he did. As he took the step though, he heard her apology and stopped. Azkadellia's head was in her hands and she was sinking to the floor, gasping great sobs of anguish. DG and the rest of her family surrounded her. DG was trying to hold Azkadellia's left hand. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it but there was a glow of light being shared between the two of them as DG touched her. Her parents were comforting her as best they could, Ahamo holding her close while the Queen stroked her hair. This woman was not the Sorceress, the pain evident in those sobs was not something he could ever imagine the Sorceress feeling.

He turned to Glitch who was still standing and staring at Azkadellia. Cain moved past Raw and softly clasped Glitch by the shoulder. He gently shook him.

"Glitch?"

Glitch shook his head and turned to him. "Hello, do I… Oh hey Cain, what's up?" Glitch smiled a goofy grin at Cain, who merely  
inclined his head at Azkadellia. Glitch looked at the scene in front of him and lost his goofy grin immediately. With no hesitation, he rushed over to Azkadellia and kneeled before her.

"Oh Azkadee, "he said, "I remember!"

Author's note: I'm going to apologize. Chapters 4 and 5 have been removed for reworking. I wasn't as happy with them as I wanted to be. Hopefully I'll have them reworked and back up quickly.


	4. Regrets

**Title:** Regrets (previously Fifteen Annuals)  
**Author:** Velara  
**Characters:** Azkadellia, the Queen, DG (peripherally)  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** post series, starting from after the suns came out  
**Disclaimer:** The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi,  
the movie folks and their respective actors.

Also, thank you to Cat Yuy for the big kick in the butt.

She felt detached from the world around as she watched her younger daughter take charge and discuss what would need to be done now. She concentrated on cradling her eldest daughter, barely noticing that DG had walked out the door with her companions. She was remembering another time much like this one. That time had been fifteen annuals before when she had cradled her broken child to her breast and wept for her. Except then, the daughters had been reversed and Azkadellia had been all alone. Her only companion had been a poisonous, whispering voice in her head. Before, she had been able to fix the damage. Now she was powerless to act. Her rash decision had brought all of this down. Everything was her fault.

_Have I made the right choices?_ It wasn't for the first time that she had mused on this thought. She had been within the Witch's prison for annuals. It had been plenty of time to think about her choices.

She had only been able to watch helplessly as the Witch used Azkadellia (_Oh my sweet little Azkadellia…_) to destroy the O.Z., secure in the thought that DG was safe, she would return and the plan would work. It seems her choice every time was to make sure DG would be able to fix everything.

_What kind of mother am I? Not a very good one at all, I'm afraid .I wasn't a very good Queen either. _It wasn't the first time she had pondered those thoughts either. Hindsight was 20/20 as her husband always said.

Lavender smoothed her hand over Azkadellia's hair and cuddled her gently. She whispered words of comfort to her broken daughter, a daughter broken by her mother's choices. Over the last fifteen annuals, she had lost everything: her children, her husband, her country and its people. A Queen was supposed to be a mother to her people. She had let all three of her children down. Now she had each of them back, but all were irrevocably changed by the choices she had made.

_Maybe if I had realized what had happened to my sweet Azkadellia before the Witch had used her to kill DG? Would I have been able to do something?_

Oblivious to everything else around her, except for Azkadellia, her regretful thoughts continued their onslaught. _Maybe if I had chosen to save Azkadellia, things would be better? Had I made the right choices as a mother? Should I have let DG die? Had I made the right choices as a Queen?_ A million regrets went through her head as she reacted to Azkadellia's pain by rocking her child in her arms.

The plan, if it could be called that, had been desperate. It had ripped apart her family and almost destroyed her realm. Three fragmented children were now the result.

Fifteen annuals later, as she cradled her daughter in her arms, she still didn't know. The O.Z. deserved better. She could never be the Queen the O.Z. needed. Not after fifteen annuals of hardship, caused by her decisions. All she could do in the meantime was try to put back the pieces of the broken daughter curled up in her arms. Maybe she could at least be the mother her Azkadellia needed now. Maybe she could make up for some of her failures, in this small way. It was her only real choice. This daughter needed her more than anything, anyone else. _This is my choice._


End file.
